Christian Francis Roth, remember the name? Unfortunately I don't as Christian began his career in the early 90's, which was the time I was applying for fashion school. The only designers I knew of then were the top names like Ralph, Calvin, Giorgio, and Karl. Names like Jacobs and Galliano were still new to the mainstream. After taking a quick review of Christian's work in the 90's, I'm reminded of music like C+C Music Factory, CeCe Penniston, Cathy Dennis and shows like Club Mtv. Those were good times.
Christian gained a lot of praise back then. The fashion critics at the time loved what he did. Sure there were orders but unfortuantely, there were no re-orders. The business didn't make money. We now see Christian attempting a comeback almost 10 years later. His work has evolved but can he once again woo the buyers? Oddly enough, Christian choose a most inopportune time to get back in the market. The economy is on shaky ground with many bank failures in the US and overseas. The global market seems to be slowing down and with it, consumer spending. Had Mr. Roth choose to re-launch his business in say 2003, he might have fared better as the last five years saw an insatiable amount of consumerism.
I can only wish Christian the best of luck as I know the difficulties of not only launching a successful business but of the hardships of maintaining that success. He's off to a good start as many of the big name buyers were at his show. In the end, he must make money. It's a simple rule that all young designers should heed: Make money or go out of business. I've got my fingers crossed for Christian. Let's hope he does well.
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